Brotherband Chronicles Meets Ranger's Apprentice Take Two
by Anonymous613
Summary: This is story that bubblystream started that I'm continuing. I am starting from the beginning as I am making some changes. This will be a tale about a Ranger's Apprentice named Roxie who befriends the Herons. Will, Halt, and Horace join the band later in the story as well.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi fanfiction readers! This is Anonymou613. I will be taking over bubblystream's story: Brotherband Chronicles Meets Ranger's Apprentice. Hopefully, I will do John Flanagan and bubblystream justice.**

**I am starting from the beginning with a few corrections so the first five chapters were written by bubblystream with editing by me. This story takes place after the tenth Ranger's Apprentice book and the third Brotherband Chronicles book. Feel free to tell me any errors in my writing or in the storyline. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or Brotherband Chronicles. For entertainment purposes only.**

**Chapter One**

Alun sighed and took another sip of his coffee. Another assignment – done. It was nice being out in the field again. Living the cushy life after getting his gold leaf was all well and good but he lived for the times when Gilan had to take over Redmont when Halt and Will went on a special mission, leaving him in charge at Whitby. Of course with the return of peace, someone was bound to show up…Well, he'd see soon enough.

Alun glanced at Casper. "Well, what do you think? Anyone around?"

Casper looked at him through one eye. _Don't you think I would have told you if there was?_

"I was just making conversation."

_Anybody who saw you would think you were crazy._

"Nice of you to say so. Well, I'm off to bed. I don't think you-know-who will show up tonight."

_That's what you think._

Alun eyed his horse for a moment, then shook his head. He would never get the last word with this horse.

The intruder quietly moved through the forest, taking care not to make noise. The figure went up to Casper, murmuring soft words, then moved to the food. Moments later, the figure was gone.

"The person's gone."

Casper shook his mane, whinnying. _I told you._

"Be quiet. This is a crisis. The coffee is gone. There's no one who could've done it except our visitor. And you told me that there wasn't anyone around."

_Well, when I said that, "our visitor" wasn't around._

"Well, I'll be watching tonight."

_"Our visitor" is smart enough to know that and not come back tonight._

"Oh, be quiet."

As it turned out, Casper was right. The intruder did not come back that night. He or she came only on nights that Alun wasn't watching.

At least, they did until the third time.

Alun took a deep breath. Tonight would be the night. He would capture them once and for all. Hopefully.

Once again, the intruder came quietly, first going to Casper, quieting him, convincing him to be quiet. Then the person began to move toward the food.

And Alun jumped out, training an arrow on them.

The figure froze for a single moment before dropping to the ground and rolling away quickly.

And the chase was on!

The intruder ran surprisingly quickly and incredibly softly. He or she was also clever.

As soon as Alun lost them in his sight, the intruder stopped and, typically, climbed a tree.

But Alun, luckily, caught sight of the intruder.

He caught up quickly and shot an arrow, nearly catching his or her cloak.

The figure turned, raising a bow of their own, and neatly placing arrows that missed him by millimeters. Alun's blades appeared in his hands, and the figure produced two knives that seemed to be almost eerily similar to the ones in Alun's grip.

And the fight began. Alun was, although older, a master knife fighter, but this young fellow – this one gave him trouble. At long last, he disarmed the figure, who then reached up and pushed back the cowl of her cloak.

It was a girl. Fifteen years of age, with long, glossy black hair and piercing, incredibly alert green eyes. She looked sharp and intelligent, though that could have been disputed by any Araluen; for what intelligent person would fight with a Ranger?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"So," the girl said cheerfully, "how'd I do?"

Alun lowered his knives. "Fine, as you well know."

She grinned. "So, I'm ready for the big time?"

"Of course! You will be able to receive your bronze leaf, no question about it!"

"Good." She turned and yelled into the trees. "You hear that Richard? I'll be earning my bronze leaf! You'll be able to get rid of me sooner after all!"

The Ranger of Caraway fief came out, grinning wildly. "Wonderful! I'm sure you did very well, even if you did get caught..."

"Oh, be quiet..."

"Well, come one, Roxie, you can do better than that."

"Well, I'm flattered that you think so highly of me, but no, I really can't."

Alun coughed, and the two turned to look at him.

"You got a cold?" Richard asked with a slight grin and a raised eyebrow.

"Ha ha. Very funny, Richard Forestel. You took that one from Halt, Didn't you?"

Richard nodded with a sheepish grin. "He always has the best lines."

"Anyway," Alun began. "I'm happy that you thought of me for this and all, but would you mind using someone else next year? I'm rather tired of trying to track her down."

"There isn't going to be a next year," Roxie informed him. "I'm going to the Gathering next year. I am now fifteen, the age when most Rangers become apprentices, and there will be no excuse not to bring me."

"Besides," Richard couldn't help but add. "You need some excitement to supplement the boring life you usually have as a retired Ranger."

"Very funny. Like I need a reminder that I'm an old fogy. Wait...the Gathering? Are you sure? She's been your apprentice for so long now and this will be the first time..." Alun trailed off. He'd forgotten. It was a rather touchy subject for the young apprentice. After all, she'd been in training for so long, it had gotten to her. A lot.

"I. Know."

He shrugged with an apologetic look. He hated making her upset. After all, as Richard's closest friend and mentor, he was like an uncle, or maybe even grandfather, to the young apprentice. "Sorry, I forgot."

Roxie sighed. "Whatever."

As they walked along, Richard couldn't help but reflect on the story of why Roxie hadn't come to any Gatherings...

Thirteen years ago, give or take a few months, he and his wife, Katherine, had taken in a tenant. The woman had brought a little girl with her. On the day she left, they didn't see her or the girl. That night, Richard and Katherine had heard a noise from downstairs. Richard had gone down to see what it was. What he had found, was a girl, the three-year-old sitting in a corner under a table, crying. Richard, surprised, quickly identified the girl as the one who had been with the tenant.

He had comforted her as best he could until she finally trusted him enough to come out.

"What are you doing here, all alone?" he had asked.

He could still remember vividly the infectious smile that she had given him, and the way she had informed him that her mother had told her to wait until she came back, even though it might be a while. then she had given him a note.

That night, she had slept with Richard and Katherine, curled up in the exact middle of the bed, slurping on her fingers.

A few months later, she had convinced him to train her.

It was only silent movement, he reasoned with himself. It wasn't like she was his apprentice.

Just silent movement had turned into unarmed fighting. After all, she needed to defend herself. Then, he had taught her how to track.

Eventually, he admitted that he was beginning to think of her as an apprentice. And that was when he got her the knives.

Then - on her eighth birthday - a recurve bow.

On her tenth birthday, she finally received her Ranger horse Starlight, or Star for short, on account of the white star in the middle of the forehead of the dark brown pony.

It took a while, but finally, a little more than two years ago, just three months before his beloved Katherine died of the plague, when Roxie was thirteen, he had convinced Crowley to admit her as a real apprentice. That was when he was allowed, technically, to bring her to the Gathering. The excuse that she was too young was simply that: an excuse. He knew she was incredibly skillful, an amazing prodigy, taking to the Ranger craft as easy and as young as she did like bark to a tree. He just couldn't do it. What if she was rejected because of her age and gender? What if she wasn't accepted by the others and allowed to become a real Ranger? Yes. It was better for her to just stay at home and remaining annoyed at him than for to have to suffer such pain. He would just have to come up with some other excuse.

Her pain would be his pain. After all, she was like a daughter to him. No. She was his daughter. He knew who her parents were, of course. It had been in the note, along with an explanation of how with three other children, they just could not afford to keep someone who wouldn't earn her keep. But her parents weren't there for her. They hadn't seen her grow up into the charming (sort of) young lady that she was now. Hadn't seen her take her steps into the big wide world. (Sort of into the big wide world.)

Although her family rejected her, she had been accepted warmly into the Forestel household. Richard and Katherine, when they had found Roxie, had one other child - a seven-year-old named Nick, a boy who took after his mother's love of medicine, rather than the dangerous life and love that his father had. That had been something else that had made Roxie ever more precious to him. While he had grown closer and closer to Roxie, Nick had clung to Katherine, making her death evermore painful for him.

Nick was also close with Richard, of course, as much as Roxie was close with Katherine which was helpful as both Nick and Roxie were handfuls, bringing an enthusiastic, lively atmosphere to their home, full of energy and happiness.

After Roxie had gotten used to the others, of course.

For the first few months, she didn't trust them and wouldn't leave Richard's side. Literally. Then she decide, almost overnight, that she liked them and switched to following Nick around. He actually had to take her to school with him a couple of times because she wouldn't let go.

She had grown up to become a regular tomboy, what with Nick's boyish influence and her love of the Ranger craft. She had the skills of a full-fledged Ranger and she enjoyed every bit of it.

Katherine's death had been a hard blow on them all, making their once happy home slightly less happy and Richard, much more protective.

It was that protectiveness that prevented him from taking her on his more dangerous missions.

And speaking of which...

"Roxie?"

"Yeah?"

"I've got a _solo_ mission in a couple of days. I'll be gone for at least four months. Will you and Nick be fine together?"

"Solo?" she huffed, sighed, and then thinking of what she could do in four months with only Nick home, suddenly brightened. "Of course we'll be fine. We always are."

Richard gave her a sideways glance. "Yes, but you won't leave Redmont?"

"I can't promise that."

"Roxie."

"What? You know I do spur of the moment things. But I'll tell you what - I'll try not to let you know if I do leave. I'll sneak off in the cover of darkness, with no one knowing I've gone."

"That's very comforting. I'm glad to hear it," Richard said dryly.

Roxie grinned at him, obviously completely unconcerned. "It'll be good practice. Trying to cover my tracks and all."

"Like you need it."

"Practice is important. Aren't I right, Alun? Practice makes perfect."

"She's got a point."

Richard raised an eyebrow. "Both of you? Are you serious?"

Alun laughed, and the three rode on with comfortable chatter despite their differences in age and personality.

Two days after Richard left on his trip, Roxie was in her room, studying battle tactics.

Then Nick came running through the door.

"Roxie," he gasped. "It's that guy you were looking for. Zavac? He's not that far. Highcliff fief. Over by the coast. A week's ride away."

In an instant, the girl was on her feet. "Really? You're sure?"

"Positive."

She hesitated. "Richard doesn't want me to go anywhere." There was a momentary pause while she looked worried, then she waved it off. "What he doesn't know won't kill him."

"Do you have any consideration for the fact that he _ordered_ you not to leave?"

"No. Not when it comes to this."

"Fair enough. What will you need before you get going?"

Hal Mikkelson studied the maps on the the table before him. "Northeast," he murmured to himself. Then he raised his voice so the others could hear. "Edvin? Speed?"

"Checking!" There was a slight pause. "A little under seven."

"We'll be there in about an hour and a half," Hal announced. "Then we'll see who this person claiming to be Zavac is and why he's pretending to be Zavac."

"Wonderful," Thorn said. "So, where'd Lydia go?"

"I have no idea," Hal admitted. "Maybe with Ingvar."

"Again?" Stig looked slightly annoyed by this. Lydia, hesitant to choose between Stig and Hal, had found herself growing more attached to Ingvar. Ingvar finally got the courage to confess to Lydia his feelings for her and their relationship had blossomed. Hal had gotten over it relatively quickly, but Stig still had slight traces of resentment. Only slight traces, but they were definitely there.

"You need to over it," Hal told his best friend.

"I know," Stig agreed with a sigh.

"Hal?" Ingvar called from his position next to Lydia on the rowing bench.

"Ah, there they are," Hal murmured to Stig and Thorn, then out loud, "What is it?"

"Where are we going, again?"

Hal checked the maps again. "A town in Araluen, Highcliff fief - a town on the coast. It isn't labeled on the map, but I'm pretty sure this is the direction."

"And what direction is that?" Stig queried.

"Northeast."

"Affirmative, Skirl!" Stig said with a mock salute as he steered the boat in that direction.

"How will we know where to go?" Stefan was coming over, frowning a little at the thought of the unfamiliar terrain.

Hal shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to find a guide. There'll be plenty of people in the town who would be willing to help us, I'm sure."

"Well, good luck to us," one of the twins said.

Roxie nudged Star in the side, upping the pace a little. She _had_ to get there before Zavac left. He was the key to remembering part of her past, after all. It was impossible to know exactly how he tied in, but he was one of her few leads to Sam.

Sam. Roxie was immediately besieged with guilt and the few memories of their time together as ten-year-olds. He had been like a second brother to her, tagging along on her adventures with Nick.

Roxie shook it off angrily.

"Come on, Star. We ought to hurry. We have to get there quickly. Hurry, Starlight."

Roxie hoped desperately that they would get there in time. She wasn't sure what she would do if she lost this lead, too.

However, if he ended up that castle, she'd need others to help her get in.

Well, maybe she'd be lucky, and there'd be someone else there, searching for Zavac. Someone who needed her help as much as she needed theirs. One could only hope.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Hal's assessment had been slightly off. It took them two hours and forty-five minutes, not an hour and a half. But either way, it didn't change what they saw when they arrived on the coast of Araluen.

The entire crew had gathered at the stern of the ship as it docked and what they saw there made them blink their eyes in shock and rub their eyes in amazement.

There was a ship that looked like the _Raven_ anchored at the dock. She seemed to be empty, though it was impossible to know where her crew was. At that moment however, they saw a box suddenly fall over the edge like it had been pushed.

"Is that...the _Raven_?" Jesper said with a shocked whisper, verbalizing the crew's befuddlement.

"What?!" Ingvar interrupted, annoyed at being the only one who couldn't see what had everyone else spellbound.

"There's a ship at the dock that looks like the Raven," explained Lydia.

"Huh," Ulf said. "I remember distinctly seeing that ship sink."

"That's because you have the memory of a drunk goldfish," his twin rebuttled.

"Yeah? Well, you..."

"Uh, uh," Hal interrupted. "We're still aboard the ship."

"But we're docked," whined Wulf.

"Would you like to test that theory," warned Hal, looking pointedly at Ingvar.

"Um, no, that's OK," Ulf said quickly.

The crew returned to gawking at the ship when Thorn noticed something.

"Look, you numbskulls," Thorn said, pointing to the side of the ship as if he hadn't been equally confused seconds before. "It says _Raven __II_. This is obviously a replica of the original _Raven_."

"You're right," Hal agreed. "Looks like our calculations were correct. This is the place."

"No," Stig corrected him. "You were right. The rest of us didn't have much to do with it."

"Whether you did or didn't, we're almost sure of taking it."

"Almost?"

"We just barely got the original _Raven_ in Raguza. Its successor will probably be even harder," Hal pointed out.

"True. But we'll win again for the same reason we won last time: your cunning plans."

"Thanks, I guess. It wasn't just me, though. All of us, together, was what brought us victory before and it will again."

Roxie arrived at the town fairly quickly: only a few hours. She dismounted in the shadowy corner on the edge of the town where the town met the forest, under the cover of the trees.

She then turned to Starlight. "Hey, Star. I need you to stay here for a minute - um, I mean, probably an hour or so."

_You know there are commands for that sort of thing._

Roxie stared at the horse for a long moment, considering. "You're probably right. Do you want me to order you about?"

_Of course you shouldn't order me about; it's my job to order __you__ about._

"Really? So why do you listen to my commands and not the other way around?"

_It is a partnership. I need to listen to commands in the field but I am the master at all other times._

"How do you suppose that?"

_For what other reason would you feed me and brush me and generally act as my servant?_

"…You got me there," Roxie conceded, smiling and patting her house before walking away, slipping silently through the trees toward the port. Roxie licked her lips, suddenly nervous, flicked up the cowl of her cloak, and stepped onto Zavac's ship, doing her best not to be seen.

Roxie searched the entire ship, but there was no one there. She couldn't help but feel increasingly frustrated. Roxie shoved a box in frustration and it fell off the side of the ship. Then, in the same instant, she caught sight of another ship, coming closer.

Instinctively, Roxie froze, praying that her cloak would hide her. It did. Or, at least, it seemed to from her perspective. One could never be too sure.

Roxie frowned at the new ship. It seemed to be a Skandian wolfship, but it was different; it seemed to be lighter in the water. Added to that, the crew seemed to be unusually young.

After a moment more's hesitation, Roxie stepped off the ship and found a place in the shadows where she could watch easily and unseen as the Skandian ship came into port, hoping she could make out more details in the ship's crew.

However, when the ship did anchor, the entire crew had their faces covered. Roxie glared at the sight for a moment, then, with a sigh, she carefully shuffled over to them, until she could hear what they were saying.

"All right," one of the figures began. "Ulf, Stefan, Jesper – you find out more about this town. Wulf, Stig, Edvin, Thorn, you get information about where this supposed Zavac might be or is. Ingvar, Lydia, and I will find a clearing in the forest nearby and start setting up camp. Meet us there once you've got the general idea, then we'll see about finding a guide."

A guide? They needed a guide? Maybe this was her chance to get the extra help she needed! Then again, she didn't know if she could trust these people. Hmm…how to find out their trustworthiness and exchange help… This was a tricky situation. She wished Richard was there. No, she reprimanded herself, shaking off the thought; she could do this herself. But what to do…

Now one of the others was talking. "Hal," the person began. "What exactly do you want to know about the town?"

"Anything you think might be useful. Find out what their main trade is, how many fighters, that sort of thing."

"Hey, Hal," a familiar feminine voice said in an agitated tone, looking at the slowly lowering sun. "We should probably get going if we are to set up camp before dark."

Was that…Lydia? What was she doing here and with a band of Skandians, no less?

Roxie whistled like a robin, the signal between her and Lydia from the very few times they had played together as children.

No one seemed at all fazed from the sound except the one she assumed was Lydia who had supposedly recognized the sound. Lydia whipped her head towards where Roxie was hiding, cutting off Hal before he even got to reply.

"Was that…no, it can't be," Lydia muttered.

"What is it Lydia?" asked the biggest Skandian worriedly.

"It's nothing, Ingvar. Just thought I heard something," Lydia replied reassuringly. "I'll be right back; I just need to relieve myself."

Lydia walked off into the forest and Roxie followed silently behind until they had reached a sufficient distance from the clearing. Roxie then walked over to Lydia, startling her.

"Wha- Roxie! I was right" exclaimed Lydia in an excited whisper. "You've certainly gotten better at your sneaking skills. Gotten taller too."

They embraced and exchanged silent greetings.

"We've both changed a lot," said Roxie, continuing the conversation. "It has been almost eight years since we last saw each other."

"I know! I was so upset when my grandfather told me that he was getting too old to be taking me on long trips to visit my only living relative."

"Speaking of your grandfather, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Limmat?"

"Shouldn't _you_ be in Caraway?"

"I suppose. I was following a lead on…you know."

"Oh," Lydia nodded, then stopped suddenly and tilted her head. "It's been a long time. I thought you would have given up by now."

"Of course not! He was my best friend…even though it was a while ago. Besides, I feel kind of responsible as he went missing while supposedly with me." There was a slight silence as Lydia digested that and then Roxie continued, "So…what about you?"

"Well," Lydia said after a moment's reflection. "The boys were dropping by when my town was attacked by Zavac and I ended up leaving with them. My grandfather was killed in the attack and Barat was getting kind of annoying," she added.

"When you say boys, I suppose you mean the Skandians?"

"Yes."

"Do you trust them?"

"With my life," Lydia declared with an emphatic nod.

"…And maybe with more?" asked Roxie teasingly.

"Well…Ingvar, the big one, is kind of my boyfriend," admitted Lydia with a slight blush.

"Seriously?! Huh."

Lydia suddenly glanced back toward the camp, remembering the Herons. "We should probably go back. I've been gone a while."

"Alright," Roxie agreed.

The two headed back, startling the Herons with there being a strange girl walking back with Lydia.

"Hey, everyone!" called Lydia to the Herons, drawing them towards her and Roxie. "This is my cousin, Roxie."

Hal came forward, studying Roxie and sticking out his hand to shake Roxie's. "I'm Hal, the skirl of _Heron_, the ship over there. This is Stig, Jesper, Edvin, Thorn, Ulf and Wulf, Ingvar, and of course, you already know Lydia," said Hal, gesturing to each crewmember as he introduced them.

"It's nice to meet everyone," said Roxie, shaking hands with the Herons. "Oh, and about the questions you asked earlier, about what their main trade is and how many fighters there are: their main trade is fishing and there are almost no fighters and no Rangers."

"How did you know that?" asked Thorn sharply, eyes narrowing.

"What's a Ranger?" asked Ulf and Wulf at the same time and then glared at each other for being 'interrupted' by the other.

"I knew what Hal asked because I was watching you-" Roxie started to answer.

"More like eavesdropping," muttered Thorn.

"-And I know what I do about Highcliff because I'm an apprentice Ranger to Ranger Richard Forestel of Caraway Fief and Rangers need to know about the different fiefs," continued Roxie, chosing to ignore Thorn's interruption. The Ranger Corps is the intelligence force of Araluen. We are the eyes and ears of the kingdom. We patrol Araluen – and beyond -, take care of the situations, and report back. There is no Ranger at Highcliff because the Ranger there got injured and he was never replaced since it is such a quiet area.* "

"Two Rangers came to Skandia to help us against a Temujai raid one," Thorn put in thoughtfully. "They were actually quite helpful," he added, glancing appreciatively at Roxie's cloak.

"All right, then," Hal announced. "Since we will not be needing anyone to go check out the village and it appears as if we found ourselves a guide, let's go find a clearing in the forest and make camp."

Everyone followed Hal towards the forest, grabbing their belongings before they clumped after Hal. Roxie told Lydia that she had to get her horse and possessions and would meet them at the campsite and went off towards where she had left Star.

She quickly retrieved Star and when she found the Herons, they had only just started making camp. Roxie set up her own camp efficiently and then started helping the Skandians with theirs.

Hal studied Roxie as she helped set up their camp.

The first thing he noticed about her were her eyes. They were bright green, with a slightly guarded look, and incredibly alert. Then he took in the rest of her. Something about her honey-colored skin and glossy black hair reminded him of Lydia. They probably both took after the same ancestor. Hal also noticed that in the way Roxie carried herself, it was clear she was more dangerous than she looked. It was apparent that she didn't have an inflated opinion of herself, but she had an air of confidence in the way she held her weapons that she was comfortable with them.

In turn, Roxie studied Hal as he helped Jesper gather firewood.

He was tall for an Araluen, though not so for a Skandian, with fair skin, blond hair, and blue eyes. He had the kind of easy grace that seemed to follow all talented swordsmen. He had a quiet air of confidence – not too obvious, but clear enough that he knew how to fight. He was also a good leader which was evident in the way the rest of the Herons respected Hal's authority and listened without question. And, of course, she had already seen his skills as a helmsman, coming into harbor.

When they were done setting up camp, Roxie volunteered to make dinner.

"Really?" Edvin brightened, then suddenly frowned. "Wait. How well can you cook?"

"You'll like it," Roxie assured him. "Cooking is part of the Ranger curriculum."

"But…you're still an apprentice, aren't you? I mean, you're kind of young to be a full Ranger," Thorn pointed out.

Roxie hesitated. "I'm an…interesting case. I've had more non-formal training than the average Ranger apprentice."

"All right then," conceded Edvin, allowing Roxie to take over the job for that night. Roxie started on the dinner with Edvin standing guard protectively next to the cooking pot.

"Old habits die hard," he admitted sheepishly when Roxie asked him what he was doing.

"So what were you doing in this area?" asked Hal.

"I am trying to find Sam, my best friend when I was little, who I think might have been abducted by Zavac. I decided to make myself known to you because I hadn't seen Lydia in ages and I could probably use some help against Zavac."

"About that…" Hal said hesitantly with an apologetic look on his face. "Zavac stole something from my people a while ago and when my band and I went to retrieve it we kind of sunk his ship with him trapped inside. We came here because we heard rumors that Zavac was here and we didn't much like the idea of him still running around."

Roxie stopped stirring the stew she was making, a shocked look on her face. "But what about the ship I saw in the dock?" she asked, starting to stir again.

"If you looked closely you would see that it says _Raven II_ on the side, not _Raven_."

"Oh. Oh no! Finally, there's a clue and it might not be anything!"

"Well, it might also be something," put in Edvin reassuringly from his position by the campfire.

"That's right," agreed Hal. "If it is Zavac, he might know where your friend is or the might be some papers hiding around that mention where your friend is or we might find your friend at the castle hideout when we reach it."

"I suppose you're right," Roxie conceded. "Thanks, guys."

"No problem," and "Anytime," they reassured her.

"I just realized something," said Thorn as he came over to join Roxie, Hal, and Edvin by the campfire. "You said you're an apprentice so shouldn't you be with your master?"

"You're right, I should be," answered Roxie. "He's gone on a solo mission. When I heard about Zavac, I had to come see if I could find a lead on a missing friend of mine – you can get the details from Hal or Edvin later. My brother, Nick, will tell him when he comes back from his mission."

"All right," Thorn replied. "As long as you take the responsibility for disappearing. We can't have an angry Ranger spoiling the relations between Araluen and Skandia."

"Don't worry," Roxie said. "I might have some faults, but blaming my misdeeds on others is not one of them."

"Hey, I think the stew is ready," Edvin cut in.

"I think you're right," Roxie answered after tasting the stew. She put out the fire and distributed the bowls.

After the delicious and warming supper, it, combined with the long exciting day, caused people to start yawning.

"Okay, I'm ready for bed," Roxie announced. "Who's going to take first watch?"

"I can," Stig volunteered.

"Alright, wake me if there's trouble or you want me to take a watch," Roxie said, stifling another yawn. She stood and stretched, hen walked to her tent to go to sleep.

"Stefan, you take the second watch," Hal announced, "after you, I will and then, I suppose Roxie can take the last one."

Everyone agreed to the arrangement and headed off to bed, leaving Stig alone to take watch with only his thoughts for company.

Stig wondered about the temporary new member of their crew. He had noticed how all the boys hadn't fallen over themselves for a girl's attention like they had for Lydia and hoped no one would make the same mistakes as last time. They couldn't afford to be distracted and he didn't want there to be another love triangle. It had been hard enough between him and Hal and didn't want the same thing to happen again.

Stig resolutely decided not to pay attention to any girls until he got back to Skandia; he needed a break to completely get over Lydia. Hal however, seemed rather interested in Roxie. It was rather obvious in the way he had been looking at Roxie during their conversations. Oh, well. It was something for another day. Stig glanced around and settled in for his watch.

*This is mentioned in The Lost Stories when Gilan goes to Highcliff to investigate a problem there because of the lack of a Ranger.


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's Chapter Four…sort of. I established their trust last chapter (In the books and in real life, when a friend of a friend is introduced, they are usually trusted.), the readers can see everyone's battle skills when they fight enemies (no need to show off everybodies talents all at once and they have gone past training with Thorn by now – don't train with Thorn in the fourth and fifth Brotherband books) and so I will be skipping most – if not all - of the original fourth chapter.**

**Chapter Four**

The next morning, Edvin made breakfast. He claimed it was only fair – after all, Roxie had made dinner the night before. Everyone gathered by the fireside for breakfast as they discussed their plans for the day.

"Well, the first thing we will need to do is restock our supplies," Thorn put in wisely.

"You're right," Hal agreed. "Stig, after breakfast, I'm going to need you to go with Ulf to town to get supplies."

"Why me?" whined Ulf.

"Yeah, why him?" added Wulf, agreeing with his twin for the first time in months.

"Because we are now on land and I need to separate the two of you before you get into any arguments," answered Hal.

"We don't argue!" Wulf said angrily.

"Yes, we do," Ulf said contrarily.

"See, you're starting already and you just got up," Hal said.

"Okay, now onto the next event!" said Lydia.

"I know the area pretty well," Roxie put in, unfolding a map. (She had finished her breakfast.) "To get to this so-called Zavac's stronghold, we need to get through her." She tapped a spot on the map. "Most people prefer to go around this route, instead of directly through, because there are thieves hiding in the middle of it. It will be better for us to go through because it is faster and we need to reach the hideout as soon as possible, before the supposed Zavac leaves. Besides, we're a strong group and will be a match for any bandits or thieves we happen to come across. So, we'll be going this way, then turning here to get to the fortress."

"Is that all?" Edvin asked.

Roxie nodded, folding the map up to the way it had been before. "We should get going," the girl said.

Hal pulled her a little aside. "You said this was the safest route," he stated. "So why do I get the feeling that it isn't safe at all?"

"I said it was the fastest safe route," Roxie corrected him in an undertone. "But we will be in danger. We have to keep an eye out or we could get killed before we even get to our fight."

Stig stopped for a moment to catch his breath. He had thought he was in shape, but trekking through the forest – not even on a trail, just through the foliage – tired him out surprisingly quickly. Well, Stig thought, at least I'm not the only one.

Indeed, most of his brotherband was just as tired as he was. The only ones who seemed fine were Thorn, Lydia, and Roxie. Well, and Roxie's horse. Everyone else seemed to be in varying degrees of exhaustion.

Surprisingly, Ulf and Wulf were at the front, talking to Roxie. She kept laughing at the way they talked. Stig couldn't be sure, but he suspected that they were trying to compete to get Roxie to like them. She was pretty, to be fair. But it was a kind of quiet prettiness that took you a while to notice. Not really like Lydia had struck them all when she first met them.

Hal was at the back of the group, but Stig suspected that it was more for the purpose of a lookout than because he was too tired to keep up.

It had been three days since they first met Roxie. Each day, they started out with a friendly breakfast around a campfire; then walked. And walked, and walked, and walked. The walking was endless.

Lost in his own thoughts, Stig was caught by surprise when the people in front of him stopped, and he ran into Jesper. "Sorry," he said automatically. Then he added, "Why are we stopping?"

"I don't know," Jesper responded.

It didn't take long to get to the front. Hal and Roxie were talking with Thorn standing nearby, listening. Stig stayed quiet so he could listen to what Hal and Roxie said.

"What is it?" Hal asked in an undertone.

"Tracks," Roxie replied in the same quiet manner. "The same ones as before, I think, but this time they look fresh, and I'm a little worried that it'll be today that we catch up to this group. But just in case it's not, I don't want to worry the others. So I need you and Thorn to stay up here and be on your guard. And put some other good fighter at the back, and tell them to be on their guard, just in case."

"I can do that," Stig offered.

Hal looked rather startled by that, like he hadn't realized Stig was there, but he nodded, glancing at Roxie. Almost as if he was asking for her permission.

_How long had that been going on without him noticing?_ Stig couldn't help but be surprised. He had never seen Hal ask for permission from anyone, except maybe Thorn. To see him doing that for Roxie meant that he had a major amount of respect for her.

"Well, go on, then," Roxie said, peering at Stig quizzically.

Stig realized he had been standing there staring at the two for several seconds. He quickly turned and made his way to the back of the group as everyone resumed walking.

Roxie watched Stig go and then looked back at Hal. He was watching her steadily, waiting.

She cocked her head. "What?"

"Don't you think we ought to send Thorn to the back, too? I'm sure the two of us will be fine."

Roxie considered it. "Why not?" she said. It would be nice to have a real conversation with Hal, too, without Thorn sticking his nose in.

Hal relayed the idea to Thorn, and Thorn, surprisingly, agreed, leaving the two leading the group.

"On we go then," Hal muttered.

And so they continued on.

Roxie stole a sideways glance at him, remembering her first assessment of him. She had pretty much been right on.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"And I thought I was being discreet," Roxie commented.

Hal grinned. "Yeah, well, not as discreet as you should have been."

"You know, Roxie said thoughtfully. "I really don't know that much about you… What's you favorite color?"

"I like green," Hal answered. "You?"

"Blue. I could tell you the exact shade of blue but it might take a while, so I'll spare you the details."

Hal smiled again.

He seems to do that a lot, Roxie thought distractedly. I wasn't under the impression that he smiled a lot, but he has been doing it a lot lately.

"All right," Hal said. "I guess that makes it my turn. Favorite…place."

"Oh, that. Well, you can't tell anyone."

"I won't," Hal promised.

Roxie shrugged. "There's this place in the forest about a half of a kilometer from where I live. It's a clearing, but it's pretty well hidden. There's a family of wolves that live there, but they leave me alone as long as I leave them alone, so when I'm upset or confused, I just like to sit there and think. What about you?"

"That sounds really cool. I was just going to say the _Heron_." He paused. "Speaking of which, are you sure…"

"Yes, it's perfectly safe, I promise. Mr. Baker is very careful with the ships in his shipyard. He'll keep it safe. I really am sorry you had to leave it."

"That's all right," Hal said unconvincingly.

"Mm-hmm," Roxie made it clear she didn't believe him.

Hal smiled a little sheepishly. "I just get kind of protective of my ship."

Roxie laughed. "That's all right. We all have something we get that protective of. For me…well, I don't know what it is for me. Star, of course, and maybe people? My older brother, though I'm not sure how much protection he would need, as well as my other friends." She paused, then just a little shyly, added. "Like you."

"We are friends, aren't we?" Hal asked in a tone of contentment, like he had just found some interesting new thing he was happy with.

Roxie opened her mouth to answer, but before she could, Star, trotting alongside Roxie, nudged Roxie and she froze.

"What?" Hal inquired, though he had a pretty good idea as to what it was.

"That means there are other people nearby," Roxie replied. "So we've caught up to them, in other words."

"So, is that good or bad?"

"Could be either. Depends on your point of view. It's better than them sneaking up on us, anyway. Hal…what do you want to do? Should we try to go around them or challenge them or negotiate their camp?"

Hal sighed. "While you might be able to get by, I doubt that the rest of us could sneak pest them undetected. I don't know how many there are or how good they are at fighting, so I'll just ask – what do you think? Should we challenge or negotiate?"

"Criminals are notoriously hard to negotiate with, and we don't have much of anything they'd value, so I'm just gonna go with challenging – or sneaking up on them and defeating them that way – whichever the case may be."

"All right, then. Let's go challenge some thieves."


	5. Chapter 5

**And there ends the edited chapters. Starting now will be the new chapters I wrote on my own. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Five**

We need to do this intelligently," Hal stopped Roxie as she started in the direction of the band of thieves.

Hal motioned for the group to stand in a semi-circle facing him, instantly taking charge.

"There is a band of thieves just up ahead," Hal announced. "The first job needed is for someone to scout what is up ahead; to tell us how many thieves there are, what weapons they carry, and so on."

"I can do that," Roxie volunteered. "Rangers are excellent scouts."

Suddenly, the sound of a branch falling to the ground echoed through the forest.

Everyone jumped and heads turned towards the sound.

"What was that sound?" asked Jesper in a whisper.

"I'm not sure," answered Hal in the same quiet tone.

"Hopefully not a bandit," interjected Stig.

"Let me check," whispered Roxie.

"Be careful," Hal told Roxie in a worried tone.

Roxie nodded and with her concealing cloak and silent movement, quickly and silently disappeared into the trees.

* * *

Roxie crept silently towards the place the sound was coming from, glancing in all directions for a sign of the slightest movement. As she reached the point where the sound had come from she became even more careful, slipping from the cover of one tree trunk to another.

"Horace!" someone whisper-shouted. "Stop walking so loudly! We are nearing a bandit camp."

"Well, I can't help it," someone else, presumably Horace, retorted, also in a whisper. "I walk like a normal person, unlike you magical Rangers!"

Rangers! Were there Rangers nearby? That seemed almost too good to be true! Also, they were with someone named Horace… Horace is the name of a knight that is part of the foreign relations Ranger group and Roxie knew they were on a mission because Alun was subbing for Ranger Gilan. Could this be them?

This was confirmed when someone else whisper-shouted, "Will, Horace, stop. We are close enough and we will want the element of surprise."

Roxie smiled to herself and stepped out of cover to greet the team.

"Greetin-," Roxie started in a soft tone, putting her cowl down. She was cut off by the hard look in what she assumed was Halt's eyes and the readied weapons.

"Who are you?" asked Halt sharply in a suspicious tone, taking in the strange girl in a Ranger's cloak.

"I'm Roxie, Ranger Richard Forestel's apprentice," answered Roxie in a quiet and calm tone even though Roxie was quivering slightly inside.

Halt, Will, and Horace relaxed at the words and her non-threatening appearance and lowered their weapons.

Suddenly remembering the bandits, they glanced towards the camp and listened to make sure no one heard Halt's outburst.

"What are you doing here? Is Richard here?" asked Will quietly.

"I'm here because I heard rumors that Zavac is here and I think an old friend of mine was captured by him. And no, Richard is not here. He doesn't even know I'm here, but I do have some other allies," answered Roxie in the same quiet tone. She then put her finger on her lips, put the cowl back up, and gestured for the others to follow her.

* * *

The Herons started from their whispered conversations in their huddles and faced the newcomers with weapons drawn, relaxing when they recognized Roxie among the strangers.

"Hey, everybody!" announced Roxie. "These are the people we heard crashing around nearby."

"Crashing around?" asked Horace with pretend wounded dignity yet smiling.

"Well, it was you who was making all the noise," Halt muttered crushingly with a small glint of humor in his eyes.

"It's nice to have some extra help," said Hal, walking forward with his hand outstretched. "I'm Hal, the skirl of this motley band and these are Stig, Lydia, Thorn, Ingvar, Stefan, Ulf and Wulf, Edvin, and Jesper," shaking the newcomers' hands while pointing out each member of the band as he introduced them.

"I'm Halt, that's Will, and the big galumphing knight over there is Horace," replied Halt, returning Halt's handshake, nodding to the Herons, and pointing out Will and Horace as he introduced them.

"Do you know anything about the bandits?" Jesper asked Halt, Will, and Horace.

"Yeah, like how many there are and how many weapons they have," put in Edvin.

"It is a group of fifteen bandits," Will answered. "Fourteen of them are tolerable swordsmen with swords and one has a wounded arm and cannot fight."

"Why so few?" asked Ingvar.

"These kinds of bandits like to waylay small groups of travellers who usually have no experience or skill with weapons," answered Thorn.

"The only reason we will try to be quiet and will want to defeat the bandits without trouble is so we will not waste too much time on the way to the fortress," added Halt.

"Oh," Ingvar said, a proud grin starting to form on his face.

"So what will be our plan of attack?" asked Lydia.

Will, Halt, and Hal, the strategists of the team (Roxie hadn't had any experience in the field yet) put their heads together and came up with a plan:

Will, Halt, Roxie, Hal, and Lydia, the ranged fighters (while Hal did know how to use a sword, he was more helpful in actual battle with his crossbow since his crewmates were much more qualified in melee attacks) would encircle the camp with Will, Halt, and Roxie taking the farther positions that would need more stealth to get to without the bandits hearing. With five people shooting at the bandits, no more help will probably be needed but when arrows start flying, the melee warriors, lead by Horace and Thorn, will join the fray, cutting down the rest of the bandits.

And that is what happened. The Rangers, including Roxie, impressed the Herons with their deadly accuracy and silent movement while Horace awed looks for his usual skill and finesse with a sword. The Rangers and Horace in turn were impressed by the Herons' teamwork and skill.

After burying the dead bodies, taking the supplies they could, and burning the supplies they could not, they continued to trek through the forest until nightfall. Then, Edvin and Roxie made dinner (there were more people so they decided to both work on the food so they could be finished faster) and they sat down to eat with Horace amazing the Herons with his appetite.

"How much farther until we reach the fortress?" asked Jesper through mouthfuls of delicious squirrel stew.

Roxie took out her map and after considering it she said, "If we lave early, we should reach it by midday tomorrow."

"Good," said Hal, heart speeding up with the anticipation of battle the next day.

"What's the plan?" asked Will. "I mean, as much as I'd like to, we can't just barge into the fortress and start fighting the pirates! It will be their home turf and there will probably be many people there."

"Not so many," said Halt. "There was only one pirate ship in harbor. But you're right, it will be a challenge."

"Around how many pirates do you think they'll be?" inquired Wulf.

"The average crew has about twenty men," answered Thorn. "And they'll all be ruthless, blood-hungry creatures, taking as many opportunities as possible to kill us in the most underhanded ways possible."

"I see," said Wulf, looking thoughtful. "Twelve against twenty-one. This will be hard."

"Maybe for you, weakling," Ulf couldn't help but put in.

"I'm as much of a weakling as you have brains!" shot back Wulf.

"Yeah! None!"

"Oh yeah! Well, you…"

"Are they always like that?" asked Will in wonderment.

"Unfortunately, yes," answered Hal. "Now back to planning. We need to think of some way to defeat the pirates."

"Maybe we could do something to draw them out," Will said thoughtfully.

"Stefan, could you impersonate Zavac to get the pirates to come out?" Hal asked Stefan.

"Yes, sir!" exclaimed Stefan with a sly grin.

"Impersonate?" asked Roxie curiously.

"Yes. I can impersonate 'most anybody," answered Stefan in Roxie's voice.

"Cool!" Will said, looking at Stefan with a slightly awed look on his face. Stefan smiled at Will, looking proud of himself.

"That could work," Hal put in gruffly, acknowledging Stefan's talent with a quick nod.

"Then, after some pirates have been disposed of, it will be a simple storm the castle tactic?" asked Stig hopefully.

Will, Halt, and Horace looked at each other and smiled, remembering how Skandians like to fight.

"We should probably go in two shifts," said Will. "All you bush whackers can surround the castle, waiting for pirates to come out while we Rangers scout the place and maybe kill a few pirates. When we come back, the others can join us in storming the castle and finishing the job."

"You should probably bring Jesper with you to pick locks. He can also move pretty quietly," added Ingvar.

"Yeah, I could do that," said Jesper, looking at Will and Halt. Will and Halt looked at each other and then nodded at Jesper.

"And remember to keep Zavac alive so we can question him," put in Roxie quickly. "And Sam, if he is still there. And alive," she added glumly.

"Don't worry, Roxie," Lydia said softly, putting her arm around her cousin. "I'm sure we'll find him soon, alive."

"Thanks, Lydia," replied Roxie with a slight smile.

"Let's get some sleep," announced Thorn gruffly. "We've got a big day tomorrow."

Slowly, everyone drifted off to bed, leaving only the watch.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"No! You can't make breakfast with a fire! We are close enough to the fortress that the smoke could give us away!" exclaimed Halt.

"Sorry," replied Edvin with a mutter.

Halt sighed. "Here, I have enough bread and dried meat in my bag for everyone," he said, handing out the food.

Hal smiled at the dialogue and came out of his tent.

"Good morning," he greeted everyone.

"'Morning," they all replied. They all went back to making their breakfast disappear except Roxie. Hal noticed she was simply nibbling on her bread.

"What's wrong?" Hal asked Roxie as he grabbed some food and sat next to her, starting to eat while looking at her with an attentive expression.

"I'm a little nervous. I haven't seen Sam in many years and he's probably changed a lot, not necessarily for good," she replied.

"I wouldn't worry so much. I know with my own friends, how strong the bond of friendship is. There might be a little awkwardness in the beginning, but I think you'll be able to get beyond that."

"Thanks," said Roxie with a tentative smile.

"Then again," continued Stig, who had been listening nearby. "He might have turned into an evil, insane pirate and we'll have to lock him up for his own good!"

Stig grinned at them and Roxie and Hal laughed.

"I doubt that," said Hal, half jokingly and half reassuringly to Roxie. "Now, eat up. You're going to need your strength for today."

Hal smiled at Roxie and she smiled back. Stig rolled his eyes at them but neither of them noticed.

After they finished eating, they cleaned up the area as best as they could, equipped and prepared themselves for battle ahead, and set out to take their positions.

"Come out right now you lazy pirates!" called Stefan in Zavac's voice. "It's time we stopped lazing around and actually started receiving some riches."

The group waited and a few pirates came running out of the fort.

"Aye, cap-" they started before falling down on their faces, dead, an arrow sticking out of their backs.

Then came a few stragglers, begrudgingly coming out to join their captain. They were quickly dispatched with a few swings of Horace's sword.

They waited some more until it was clear that no one else was coming out.

"Well, that was to be expected," Halt muttered half to himself and half to the other rangers standing nearby. "Not many pirates like listening to their captain."

"I don't see any more sentries," sail Will. "They must have all heard Stefan and come down."

"Yes," agreed Halt. "It is probably safe to go now but be careful and remember that when we find Zavac, we'll need to keep him alive to question about his plans." The other rangers nodded in agreement and then joined Halt in stalking towards the fortress.

The crept silently and invisibly towards the side door, left open by a pirate who had come out to join his captain. Creeping along the dark hallway, they listened carefully for any sign of a pirate. They finally came across a few in what appeared to be some sort of dining room. Five whooshes and thunks later, all the pirates were slumped over their food with arrows in their backs.

They continued on throughout the fortress killing the remaining pirates with minimal difficulty. The pirates did not know what was coming and had little or no opportunity to fight back. A few cried out but their cries were lost in the huge fortress. Only one archer managed to scratch Roxie's check before he was dispatched.

They finally reached the middle of the fortress. Slowly opening the door and peaking around it, Halt saw the pirate captain at a desk, scribbling on a piece of paper and muttering to himself. There were many more papers strewn about the desk and on the floor and piled high in a chest next to the desk. The only place without paper was the bed, in the far right corner of the room.

Halt turned back to the other rangers and mouthed Zavac. They nodded, slowly backed away and retraced their steps back to the others.

"All right," whispered Halt, causing most of the Heron crew and Horace to jump in surprise. "We disposed of as many pirates as we could find but there might still be a few more. We also found Zavac and decided it might be easier to capture him with more bushwhackers on our side."

"What? Three rangers couldn't handle a measly pirate captain," joked Horace. "You must be getting old."

Halt glared at Horace, resenting that comment. "No," he snapped. "We just thought we might hurt the mighty knight's pride by doing all the work for him."

"Besides," added Will. "We wouldn't want to deprive any of you of going through all the papers we saw."

Everyone groaned.

"Cool! Let's go!" said Hal, sobering everyone up and leading his crew after the rangers.

Unfortunately, the other warriors weren't as quiet as the rangers and by the time they got back to Zavac's room, he was gone.

Halt frowned at the Skandians and Horace and then motioned them to follow ten paces behind the rangers: enough to see them but not enough to scare away any pirates who might hear them coming. They crept along the passageways until they came to a tower. Climbing up the tower, Halt motioned for the others to stop when they heard voices. Zavac appeared to be yelling at a sentry who had fallen asleep. Slowly, Halt, Will, and Roxie crept up the steps and sure enough, there was Zavac and another pirate. They shot off a few arrows but only managed to hit the pirate and Zavac's arm as Zavac quickly ducked behind the other pirate, which was where he had been when the rangers came up. The others quickly ran up when they heard Zavac cry out and rapidly subdued him.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" demanded Roxie with an uncharacteristic fierceness in her voice.

"Why should I tell you?" he answered rudely and spat in her face.

Roxie jumped back and wiped her face on her sleeve as Jesper showed the pirate a packet of papers.

"This is why," he said with a maniacal grin.

"What?!" shouted Zavac. "How did you get that?"

"You're not the only one who's a thief," answered Jesper.

Jesper handed the packet to Hal who started reading them aloud.

"Hmm… here's a letter from Zavac to someone named Svend refusing him as a member of Zavac's crew. Oh, here it mentions that Svend is Zavac's…twin!"

"Twin!" Will exclaims, everyone staring at whom they had thought was Zavac. Svend visibly blanched.

"So, after being refused a spot on your twin brother's crew, you just decided to take his spot as a pirate captain!" exclaimed Thorn accusingly. "Didn't you think that people might notice?"

"That is why I came here!" retorted Svend. "I needed to read Zavac's papers in peace and plan how I was going to take Zavac's place! I tried going on my own but I was only able to capture a few small ships with few fighters."

"Ah…so that's what you were doing!" Halt said with a devilish smile.

"And admitting to piracy," put in Lydia, shaking her head.

Svend realized he had just given them what they wanted and cursed roundly.

"Well, that takes care of that," said Ingvar. "Now we can work on finding out what is written in those papers and what happened to Sam."

"You mean we will," grumbled Ulf. "You can't see."

"I can too!" said Ingvar. "I can read! I just can't see far away!"

"Good," said Wulf with a smile, then you won't need my help!"

"Or mine," quickly put in Ulf, Jesper, and Horace.

"We'll need everyone's help," said Halt. "Though I suppose we'll need some to guard Svend and bury the pirates."

Ulf, Wulf, Jesper, Horace, Ingvar, Stig, Thorn, and Horace all quickly volunteered to do just that. Everyone else followed Halt to Svend's room.

They went through the papers, finding proof of Svend's piracy and Zavac's death, the plans for building _Raven II, _and some half-baked plans of Svend's to continue piracy.

Lydia and Roxie found records of Zavac's riches and with the help of Hal and Edvin, were looking for any mention of Sam.

"Here it is!" shouted Lydia. Everyone raised their heads and looked at her expectantly. "He's…in Skandia."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Hal sat in the middle of the Heron with Thorn, looking at a map and compass and shouting out commands periodically. The other Herons obediently followed Hal's leadership, raising and lowering sails, rowing, and whatever else needed to be done. Halt, Horace, and Will sat nearby Hal and Thorn, looking at the map and compass and the activity going around them. Halt and Thorn would occasionally say something, sometimes helpful but mostly verbal jabs (after Halt had gotten over his seasickness, of course). They had started a sort of contest on who could come up with the best ones. Roxie stood at the helm, looking out at the water with a distant look on her face.

"You nervous?" Roxie turned around and saw Hal had walked up behind her.

"Of course I am. Who wouldn't be?"

"You two must have been really close."

"Yeah, we were. That's why I've been looking for him."

"You seem pretty dedicated to finding him."

Roxie shrugged. "I feel sort of responsible because I was there when it happened and he was my best friend." "We weren't anything more if that's what you're asking," she added with a mischievous grin.

"N…No, of course not. I just wanted to know…" Hal drifted off after seeing Roxie's grin and just smiled sheepishly back.

They finally arrived in Skandia and Halt, at least, was very glad to be back on land. Will and Horace looked around with amusement, remembering their previous adventure, while the rest just wanted to get on with it.

"Welcome back, Herons!" called Erik as he walked towards the group. "What's the news?" Erik walked all the way up to the group and seeing the Rangers, said, "Greetings, Rangers. It is good to see you again. Who's this?"

Hal stepped forward and said, "Greetings, Erik! This is Roxie. She's an apprentice Ranger. The rumors of Zavac were really his twin brother, Svend, who we defeated. Roxie is looking for a friend of hers named Sam who was sold here about seven years ago."

"Who was he sold to?"

"A man called Asger."

"I just saved you a trip, then. I saw a young Araluen named Sam leave a week ago. He was freed four years ago after saving his master's son from being killed by rebellious slaves and just recently, made enough money for a trip back to Araluen."

Everyone stared at Erik in shock. They had made the long trip to Skandia for nothing. Halt turned white, then green, not looking forward to the long trip back.

"The great Halt, seasick!" teased Thorn, grinning at Halt's expression.

"Oh, shut up," replied Halt, a cross expression on his face. "At least I have two hands to steady myself."

"That might be true but my new hand is much better than one of flesh and blood and besides, I don't need to steady myself."

Halt and Thorn's teasing continued as the group made their way back on the boat for their long trip back to Araluen.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

When the group reached Araluen, Halt got a chance for payback as he teased Thorn about his hatred for horseback riding. They rode to Roxie's home, intent on finishing their mission.

As they rode up to Roxie's house, they saw Richard Forestel standing there, an angry look on his face.

"Roxanne! How dare you leave home without me! Do you know how worried I've been?!"

"Sorry," Roxie mumbled, dismounting. "I'd heard the rumors about Zavac. I wanted to see if..."

"I'd heard that. Your brother told me. Imagine how surprised and worried I was when Sam showed without having even seen you."

"Your apprentice was very helpful in defeating Svend, Zavac's twin brother, and his men," Will said in a placating tone.

"Hmph. I'll talk to you about this later. I'm sure you want to talk to Sam."

"Thanks!" Roxie said with excitement and slight nervousness.

"Come on." Richard led them away from his house at the edge of the town to the center of it where a celebration was going on. There were banners saying, "Welcome Home Sam!" and Sam and Nick were talking on the left side of the town square.

"Welcome home, Roxie!" Nick said when he noticed her. "We were worried about you."

"It's nice to see you again, as well," Roxie replied. Roxie turned to Sam and they just stood there, looking at each other awkwardly.

"Hey, Sam," Roxie said finally. "Are you OK? Well, obviously, you're not really…but…um…what happened?"

Sam smiled. "It wasn't so bad, actually. It was pretty scary at first when I was kidnapped by pirates and then sold to slavery but I was freed pretty quickly when I saved my master's son. It only took so long for me to get back because I had to use most of the money I earned for rent and food."

Just then, Crowley came walking up to the group from the direction of Richard's house.

"What are you doing here?" Will asked.

"I was talking with Richard about Zavac's possible invasion. When I heard Roxie had also gone after him, I decided to wait here for all of you to come back."

Crowley turned to Richard, "I think your apprentice has proven herself. What do you say?"

Richard looked upset but after a little hesitation that Roxie had indeed proven herself.

Crowley reached into a pocket, pulled out a bronze leaf and handed it to Roxie. She put it around her neck, overjoyed at finally being considered an official apprentice.

Crowley smiled at her. "Now that you are an official apprentice, I expect you to write up the report on what happened with the pirates. But first, go enjoy yourself!"

The group congratulated Roxie and then went off to enjoy themselves. Hal turned to Roxie and held out his hand in an offer to dance. She smiled warmly at him, took his hand, and walked off to start a new adventure.

THE END


End file.
